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While in the beautiful setting of Lynn Valley, the fallen leaves on the ground lead me on paths of colour investigation and admiration of natures changing seasons. The linear patterns of bare trees and intertwined branches also called to be investigated – and for me that was with paint (as can be seen in my videos below).

With limited daylight of the evening and the cooler shadows in the valley I sensed a depth of cold coming upon me like that of winter on a tree. The bright colours I put in my painting helped me feel warmer though I was aware of the darker and colder days that lay ahead.

With the busy season upon us, of intertwined activity and the year coming to an end, may we remain steadfast like the trees left without their leaves ready to receive the new growth that always follows.

Wishing you and yours much warmth in your hearts and homes this season. Jane

The rhythmic flow of Lynn Creek was perfect for another set of painting videos just before the colder weather set in. I managed to paint and film on location another 37 Stroke painting; this time in acrylic focusing on rhythms and colour play of the moment. I first collected leaves for counting my strokes to get in the tempo of the place and to get some cues for pushing colour…. from green to yellow to red. I thought if leaves could do it so could I. The shorter video is fast motion of my painting to music and the explained version shows how I paint the scene with commentary. I hope you may enjoy these expressions of the rhythm of the place and the ones my brush suggested. Best wishes, Jane

Where do you draw the line? For me, I’ve put a number of them all over my paintings… and keep crossing them. Not only do lines make forms but I have discovered that playful line can imply expression by the way it is applied. This type of line is fun to explore and is what I present in my latest videos for you to watch and enjoy. Thanks for being on Artist Reflections!

At the edge of Lynn Headwaters, with my new painting hat, I bring out some of my favourite art books and comment on the various artist’s use of line as inspiration for my own work which is featured in fast motion to music.

This Article was based on a previous post titled: “Getting In the Mood”. It was published in the Federation of Canadian Artists Magazine “Art Avenue” this month and I would like to share it with you. Below is the article: A Little Thought on Inspiration: “Getting in the Mood”

What does it take to “Get in the Mood” to create something from nothing? I asked myself this question after spending a whole day painting without any satisfying results. On other occasions, taking a hike in the mountain’s fresh air or surrounding myself with the vastness of the ocean was all it took. But then there are those other days….when I am not in the mood.

Like the day spent in the park, studying yet another blank white space, nothing coming to mind after several failed landscape sketches, and feeling as though I had forgotten what a paint brush could do.

That’s when I decided to pitch one last effort to use everything left in my paintbox and employ the full spectrum of my spirit to capture whatever I could.

It was in this striving to go the extra mile, in the mood of surrender, that finally prepared a place in me to receive what I needed. Within a short time a small bright painting resulted and I felt I had discovered something new. This creativity was not something I could force but something to be open to.

My hope is that in whatever “extra mile” you take along your way that it too brings you to undiscovered places. And, like a special painting, add a bit of colour to your life.

Here are some suggestions that may help motivate artists to get “In the Mood” to paint:

-Go for a walk in nature, perhaps in a new location

-Visit an art museum, historical site or art show and spend a few minutes with a favourite piece

-Take a class from an artist who’s work you like (Federation Classes are some of the best) even if you know how to paint

We are more than flesh and bone, and what we own; what we do or not do, while our inner spirit cries out to live… and live well. Thinking more about these things, I start to appreciate the natural beauty around me and what I feel is in my own heart. I realize my painting is just a small part of who I am but it is something that I can share with others in hopes that it inspires More…More of who we are – and I believe that is more beautiful than we realize.

The Burrard Inlet at Cate’s Park is the backdrop of this painting video where Jane was inspired to use a direct approach to painting with watercolors. Here I explain that watercolours are often worked from light to dark, and that one has to keep in mind the white of the paper for the light areas of the painting while painting around those areas. I shows how she adds forms including the distant hillside, trees and waves close to shore and puts the last touches of evening glow into this on location painting.

Sometimes painting is like playing music, with high and low notes of hues, where brushstrokes of various colours form cords, harmonious or in discord making a unique visual song. When outdoors this “playing” is ultimately orchestrated by the landscape and conducted by the artist. The symphony of lights and darks, solo’s of individual colours and choruses of brushwork become a shared song from the heart. Here is one of these played out in this fast motion video. Enjoy the “Music” and Happy Thanksgiving! Jane

Since my last email I painted over the abstract I did on location and made it into an impressionistic seascape that is featured in the video below. The video after that is a favourite fast motion video of painting a belcarra cottage in limited strokes and limited time. I have included links to all the videos I have made so far and I hope you enjoy them at your leisure (some of them a bit longer). You may sign up for these on my youtube channel: Jane Appleby Art.

Thank you for being a subscriber to artists reflections. Please enjoy these next two videos of quick paintings done on location by the ocean side. One is at Belcarra and the other on Galiano Island.

In my videos I hope to bring to you what I find enjoyable about painting outdoors. Plein Air painting is really the only way to experience the place at a given moment.

While filming on location has proved challenging, often requiring several shoots, I feel it is a means of bringing this experience to you and that makes all the work rewarding. Peter from Vancouver Video Production has done a great job on these too. I hope you like them.

This shows AN EXPRESSIVE 16 X 20 ABSTRACTED LANDSCAPE PAINTED IN 37 MINUTES ON LOCATION AS A STUDY IN OILS. THE WINDSWEPT SEASHORE OF GALIANO ISLAND WAS THE INSPIRATION FOR THIS COLOURFUL EXPRESSION WHICH outlines my INTUITIVE painting method USING VARIOUS BRUSHWORK, COLOURS AND EVEN A RUBBER TEXTURING TOOL. ALL THESE WERE USED TO PRACTICE SKILLS IN PAINTING BOTH WITH TRANSPARENT AND SOFT PASSAGES AS WELL AS BOLD OPAQUE BRUSHWORK TO MAKE A COLOURFUL ABSTRACT EXPRESSION. What I liked about this piece include: “REPEATED PATTERNS, COLOUR EXCITEMENT AND SURPRISES, RHYTHM IN THE BRUSH STROKE AND SOME RENDERING OF EMOTION I felt in the place”.

THIS VIDEO SHOWS A direct PAINTING method IN FAST MOTION AND IS A GOOD EXAMPLE OF A QUICK 37 STROKES PAINTING Study. FEATURING MUSIC BY CAMBELL AND GREEN, sung by my friend Cailin Green who manages to focus on the beauty of the day no matter what comes our way.